Coverings for architectural openings such as windows, doors, archways, and the like, have taken numerous forms over a long period of time. Coverings might simply constitute a fabric draped across a rod or other support in a permanent position, but more popular coverings constitute retractable shades, fabrics, or the like.
A popular covering used in architectural openings is a Venetian blind wherein a plurality of horizontally disposed slats are supported on tape or cord ladders so they can be rotated about their longitudinal axes between open and closed positions or retracted and extended across the opening in retracted and extended positions. Vertical blinds are similar to Venetian blinds except the slats extend vertically rather than horizontally. More recently, cellular shades have become very popular, as they are not only aesthetically attractive but also insulative. Numerous forms of cellular shades have recently been developed and this has led to more interest in retractable fabric shades such as of the Roman Shade variety.
A variation of a Roman shade is disclosed in International Patent Application PCT/US2004/043043, which is of common ownership with the present application, was filed internationally Dec. 21, 2004, is entitled “Retractable Shade For Coverings For Architectural Openings” and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In that application, the covering for an architectural opening includes a fabric formed from a plurality of rigid or semi-rigid elongated slats or vane strips of arcuate transverse cross-section that are supported on a flexible support structure and suspended in an architectural opening for movement between extended and retracted positions.
In the extended position, the slats or vanes slightly overlap each other while presenting a multi-curved sheet-like appearance. In a retracted position, the slats or vanes are gathered on their supporting structure adjacent a head rail for the covering along the top of the architectural opening. The slats or vanes can be supported on various support structures which might be, by way of example, a sheet of sheer fabric, a plurality of vertically extended cords or micro fibers, or interconnected strips of flexible material (e.g., webbing) allowing the slats to hang or droop downwardly in a generally vertical plane.
There is a need in the art for an apparatus for forming the fabric used in the aforementioned covering. There is also a need in the art for a process of forming the fabric used in the aforementioned covering.